Where does “snakephobia” come from?

snakephobia (English) comes from English snake, from Middle English snake, from Old English snaca, from Proto-Germanic snakô, from Proto-Germanic snakaną, from Proto-Indo-European sneg- — to crawl, creeping thing.

snakephobia (English): Fear of snakes

Definitions

  1. Fear of snakes

Ancestry of “snakephobia”, step by step

snakephobia traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English snake

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsnakeA legless reptile of the sub-order Serpentes with...
2Middle Englishsnakesnake; serpent
3Old Englishsnacasnake
4Proto-Germanicsnakôsnake
5Proto-Germanicsnakanąto crawl
6Proto-Indo-Europeansneg-to crawl, creeping thing

via English Phobia

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPhobiaAn irrational, abnormal, or obsessive fear (of something)
2Ancient GreekΦόβοςmythological personification of fear
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰegʷ-to flee; to run
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sneg- →Every word from Proto-Germanic snakaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic snakô →